Transplant Center News
A new protocol at the Mass General Transplant Center is saving lives by increasing the number of lung transplants, reducing wait times and decreasing length of hospitalization. Since December 2008, the Transplant Center has seen a three-fold increase in the number of lung transplants.
A breath of fresh air: Massachusetts General Hospital sees surge in lung transplant activity
29/Jun/2009
Brian Long before his lung transplant
Brian Long of Boston spent Christmas 2008 in the intensive care unit at Mass General. As he lay in his recovery bed, he was thankful for the second chance he had been given. He had finally undergone the lung transplant that would make it a very happy and healthy new year.
Jacqui Larocque of Kingston remembers when her 16-year-old daughter Cassandra could barely muster the energy to take a shower. But on January 22, 2009, Cassandra received two healthy lungs. She’s now outpacing her mom at the mall.
New protocol
Those are just two examples of how a new protocol at the Mass General Transplant Center is helping save lives. Since December 2008, a total of 12 lung transplants have been performed. Eleven recipients received a double lung transplant and one received a single lung transplant. The 12 transplants represent a three-fold increase over the previous 18 months.
“Mass General has instituted an aggressive approach to evaluate donors based on the recognition that bad lungs can be made better prior to transplant. Unique therapies at the time of transplant keep those lungs functioning well,” said Dr. John Wain, transplant surgeon.
This increased number of transplants follows the implementation of a plan designed to optimize potential lung donors through interaction with onsite coordinators from the New England Organ Bank (NEOB).
“In the past, we looked primarily for donors in the New England area, but now we have extended our network nationwide. Today, 50 percent of our lungs come from outside of the region,” said Dr. Leo Ginns, medical director of the Lung Transplant Program at Mass General.
At the same time, the waiting list from time-to-transplant after being placed on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) organ list has also decreased. In 2005, UNOS instituted a new system to determine priority for receiving a lung transplant. The Lung Allocation System (LAS) determines the order of everyone awaiting a lung transplant by medical information specific to each transplant candidate. The medical information used to calculate a lung allocation represents an estimate of the severity of each candidate’s illness and his or her chance of success following a lung transplant.
The new protocol has also decreased the median length of inpatient stay by more than 20 percent—from 36 days to 22 days—and has helped Mass General maintain a 100 percent survival rate for its lung transplant patients. “Now patients will get their transplants faster and they will be home quicker,” said Dr. Wain.
Patient access
Brian Long after his lung transplant
Lung transplants are given to people as a last resort treatment for irreversible lung failure. Lung failure occurs when the lungs are damaged and unable to transfer oxygen and carbon dioxide to and away from cells. Some diseases that cause lung failure and are treated with transplants are cystic fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema.
Both Brian Long and Cathy Larocque suffer from cystic fibrosis. The life-threatening disease causes the lungs to fill up with mucus and affects about 70,000 people worldwide. Today, both are breathing easy because of the new protocol.
Brian Long, who lives on the 5th floor of his Boston condo, can now take the stairs. “I never remember breathing like this in my life! Before the surgery everything had to be done for me,” explained Long. “I couldn’t even go grocery shopping.”
Cassandra Larocque had become so sick it became impossible to go to school every day. But today, she is looking forward to resuming her studies and one day hopes to become a pediatrician. “I love kids and I think with all the medical stuff I’ve dealt with, I could lend a good perspective.”
The Lung Transplant Program at Mass General was founded in 1990 and was the first Medicare-approved lung transplant program in New England. It evaluates and treats transplant candidates with a variety of advanced lung diseases, including: cystic fibrosis, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, bronchiectasis and sarcoidosis.
Learn more about the Transplant Center at Mass General.
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